Convince Them in Your Job Interviews – Step #6 of a Perfect Job Search

In this article, I explain Step #6 "Prepare your pitch for the job interview" of the 7-Step Method "Fast Lane to the Perfect Job" I have developed to maximize the success of my coaching clients. If you haven't read my previous article here on LinkedIn in which I give an overview of the whole approach, I recommend reading that first.

Prepare the relevant information

When you prepare for your job interview, collect all the information needed to present the following:

• That you are already (somewhat) familiar with the hiring company.
• That you understand the open position, its tasks, and especially how to be successful in it.
• Why your career to date provides an excellent basis for this (proof of your competence).
• How you will personally benefit from the new job (proof of your motivation).
• How you will make a significant contribution to the success of the company already in the near future.

Does that look familiar to you? Yes, it's exactly the same list I already mentioned in Step #5 "Build the bridge to the open position with a cover letter". So, the "pitch" you need to present in the job interview follows the same principles as for your cover letter but in the job interview, you need to go into much more detail for each aspect.

Unlike your CV / résumé, which is primarily intended to pique the curiosity of the reader, this is now about clarifying all open questions concerning your suitability with a positive outcome. Pay particular attention to this if the other side does not, because anything that is still unclear after the interview is usually little in your favor.

Remain focused during the conversation

What awaits you in the actual conversation can be divided into two possible scenarios.

You may be lucky ...

The first is that you get lucky and encounter an experienced and well-prepared hiring manager. This person will create a pleasant atmosphere right from the start, has read your documents in full and written down relevant questions, will give you enough opportunities to present your suitability, and, last but not least, will openly address any concerns he or she may have and allow you to refute them.

... but that's not likely

You guessed it: Unfortunately, this kind of interviewer is the exception rather than the rule. This has to do with the fact that most managers conduct job interviews rarely and are therefore pretty inexperienced themselves.

In fact, you cannot at all rely on the other side a) having read your documents completely, b) having understood them correctly and c) being prepared for the interview with you on this basis.

Apart from this, many managers don't even know what the appropriate questions for their decision-making should be. As a result, the individual interviews they conduct tend to take an accidental and therefore often unsatisfactory course.

This, of course, only describes two extremes. Real situations usually fall somewhere in the grey area in between, although unfortunately rather on its lower end. How it will be in your specific case, you will only find out during the interview.

Assume control if needed

Therefore, it is important that you are always ready to actively influence the course of the conversation and not leave it up to chance. You do this by ensuring that the interview goals relevant to both sides are achieved by the end of the interview.

This requires you to find the right moments to get across all the relevant information described above even if you cannot deliver them in the form of a perfect story because the other side doesn't ask you relevant questions in a sensible order.

There is more to it

This article is an abbreviated version of the instructions in my extensive online guide "Ways to the Perfect Job", which can be found here.

There is also a separate article on how to present your soft skills in situations like this.

What it means for the next and final step

Presenting yourself in this manner will not only maximize the chance of becoming the candidate of choice but also get you in the best position to negotiate a great salary, which I'll explain in the next and final step of the method.

It is advisable to prepare for the salary negotiation already when you prepare for the job interview unless you know that the salary will not be discussed until a later stage.

Continue by learning more about step #7 ...

Would you like me to help you with that in person?

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Send your job search and applications on the road to success

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